Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-11-03
RAILROAD MATTERS
DISCUSSED At The CITY HALL, LAST
NIGHT, ATC0ESlDERABLg LENGTH.
The Joint Session Of the Committees on Ordinances
and Railroads Recommend the Passage Il
Measure, and Talk Of Safety Gates, Rates
ofSpesd, Etc.

"a SHNsN' -'S|
Council is to be given an opportunity 10
indulge in little more railroad Legislation
This will be the probable outcome OF
committee meeting at the City Hall, last
night.
The point to be aimed at is the regnla-
ton of the speed of all trains within the
city limits and the erection of more safety
gates, after the pattern of those now IN use
at the b. K o. crossings on Thirty-second
street.
The regulation of speed may be easy
enough, but when it comes to making
demand for the erection OF safety gates,
there will be trouble at some points.
Along the track of the Pittsburg division
of the B. & o., on Sixteenth street. for in
stance.
But all the same the gates would be
most excellent thing.
These little matters came up incident
ally at a joint session of the Council Com
mittees on Ordinances and Railroads. The
session had been called to take action upon
the petition of the Boggs' Run Mining and
Manufacturing Company for permission to
lay and maintain a railroad switch of stand
ard gauge, from the Compauy's mines at
the east end of Forty eighth street along
the south side of said street to juno
ton with the main line of the
Pewiky. The petition went on to
recite the advantages OF such =
switch would be to the Company, and the
lower end of town in general, and was &C.
companied by an ordinance, which was
submitted to the committee for discussion
The ordinance was read and discussed,
amended in several particulars and finally
recommended to Council for adoption, al
though City Solicitor Caldwell said in an
informal way that he did not think COun-
Gil had any right to grant such privilege,
and that this view Of the matter had been
confirmed by the Circuit Court. The or
dinance rs it goes to Council merely per
mits the switch to he put down, as far ~
the city can grant such permission.
1t may be stated here, rs a fact not gen
orally known, that u large portion Of
Forty eighth street lies wholly without
the limits of Ohio county And not only
this, but considerable slice of the square
east of Jacob street and north of Forty
eighth street, is also outside the county.
This is at the east end of the street. On
the other hand, at the west end Of Forty
eighth street the city owns the whole street,
and quite slice Of land on the south side
of it, The trouble is that the line between
the two counties crosses the line Of Forty
eighth street at an angle of about ten de-
grees, while most people suppose the line
OF the street is also the line of the county.
This is the way it ought to he, and a joint
boundary commission on a small scale
could lie had to advantage.
As soon as the Coal Company switch was
disposed of, and while disposition to 90
to the show was beginning to manifest it.
self among the gentlemen present, Mr..
Dobbins called the attention of the mem
bers to the excessive speed at which many
OF the railroad trains passing through town
were run at. He referred to the b. x o.
as being the chief sinner in this matter.
There was an idea that eight miles an hour
was the limit but as q matter of fact q
very much higher speed was usual. There
had been IN attempt some two years ago
to put an ordinance through Council fixing
this thing, but it had been shelved. lie
had succeeded in rescuing the document
from its pigeon hole, and asked that it be
read for the information of those present.
Two or three other members endorsed
what Mr.. DObbns had said about the eX-
cessive speed of trains, and then the ordi-
nance was read. Then it was that the
discovery was made that the major portion
of the ordinance contained provisions for
the erection Of gates at certain crossings
of the b. & 0. and Pewiky roads and that
introduced new element into the CONVEX
sation. Two of the gates mentioned in
this ancient ordinance namely, the
ones on Thirty-second street-have
long since been erected, hut the paper
contained provision for q
sort Of double barrelled gate, to be erected
by the Il. x o. and fewiky roads jointly,
at the foot of Twenty fourth street, and
this was deemed TO be good thing Pro-
ceeding, the fourth section of the ordinance
limited the speed of trains on the i q q.
to six miles an hour from the depot 10 the
location of the company's shops, and ten
miles an hour from that point to the south
end OF town.
After some discussion, motion was
made 10 refer the whole matter to the
Solicitor with instructions to get up an
ordinance and report it to the Committee,
it to include gates ut the Main, Market
and Chapline street crossings OF the Six
teenth street track, as well as at Twenty
fourth street, and also making limit to
the speed of trims.
Mr.. Caldwell said he had very grave
doubts rs to the ability of Council to com
pei the erection of gates on Sixteenth
street. The grant to the railroad company
had not been drawn up so as to admit OF
snch Il course, and he thought if there was
a loop hole at all it would come under the
general police powers of the city, to pro-
vide for the public safety and welfare
The matter will be brought to the at
tention Of Council, and action will prob
ably he taken by that body.
hxi. 10